Spring Peepers – The Call of Spring

Spring Peepers are tiny frogs who start the season off with a big Peep! Low lying fields and marshy areas are home to these tiny peepers who have traditionally been considered the iconic harbingers of spring. Their unmistakable call of a cheerful, chirpy chorus lets you know that warmer days lay ahead.

Peepers survive in a geographic range that extends north into Canada and can survive freezing conditions thanks to a neat trick of physiology that enables them to endure literally being half frozen. The peeper strategy is to re-produce early so that froglets can get out of the water before it’s full of competitors and predators.

The distinctive song we hear is the male’s call to prospective mates. If you listen closely, you can hear that the males time their peeps to call between their neighbors’ notes, each trying to nab its moment to catch the attention of the females.

While you can listen to a chorus of peepers that can swell into the thousands, these tiny frogs are nearly impossible to see. They’re roughly the size of a thimble and dress in variations of grays, greens and browns which allows them to blend into their surroundings.